By Zephyria 
The Marquis’s face remained stiff as he looked at Cassian. Of course it was, Cassian thought to himself. Who could have expected such a chaotic scene to unfold at a sophisticated party where only the most carefully selected nobles gathered?
On top of that, the Marquis had been victimized by a crazy capybara.
Cassian had come all this way to apologize, but in truth, an apology alone would never be enough to settle this. Considering Marquis Manon’s age, it was a miracle he hadn’t collapsed from the shock.
Despite this, Cassian couldn’t bring himself to speak first and simply waited for the Marquis to open his mouth. Finally, the other man let out a dry cough. Sensing it as a precursor to something, Cassian tensed up and straightened his posture. After confirming this reaction, the Marquis finally spoke.
“Yesterday’s events were truly shocking.”
At the obvious opening remark, Cassian replied after a pause that was neither too long nor too short.
“I imagine they were. It is only natural.”
Just as he was about to bring up the words he had prepared, the Marquis continued first.
“I was quite surprised to hear later that he was your partner. You’ve been a man without a single scandal all this time; I wonder where on earth you brought that child from…”
It was an expected question, yet Cassian momentarily faltered. He had agonized over the answer to this question repeatedly but had failed to find a suitable response.
What would happen if he revealed that the fellow was the youngest of the Miller family?
Naturally, the Marquis would be shocked and would inevitably ask how he had become entangled with a child from such a family. Then, Cassian would once again be left speechless.
Confessing everything that had happened in the past was tedious, and he had absolutely no desire to reveal his pathetic past. Above all, even if he explained all of this, what answer would he give to the decisive question?
Namely, ‘Why did Bliss Miller suddenly seek me out after ten years?’
Until now, Cassian had been so consumed by the thought of getting Bliss out of his sight that he had neglected the reason. He thought he didn’t want to know and didn’t need to know since the boy would be leaving again soon anyway, but that was before this incident occurred. Now, he was dying of curiosity. Why on earth did that capybara suddenly appear and make his life such a fucking mess?
Among the countless thoughts swirling in his head, he pulled out the answer he had chosen from the start and replied politely.
“He is a distant relative of an acquaintance. I accompanied him to the party as it was a good opportunity, but I never imagined such a thing would happen…”
Now it was time to apologize. And he would have to discuss compensation. The problem, of course, was whether there was anything that could actually soothe the Marquis’s heart…
It was just as he furrowed his brow in deep contemplation. Suddenly, the Marquis beamed a smile. Perplexed, Cassian blinked, and the Marquis spoke with a gentle expression.
“It was a truly fascinating experience. I was just about to fall asleep at a party where everyone drones on with the same old talk, but it certainly woke me right up.”
With those words, the Marquis let out a loud, hearty laugh. Cassian was simply dumbfounded by the unexpected turn of events. As is often the case with Englishmen, he couldn’t tell if the man was speaking in a roundabout, sarcastic manner or if he was being sincere—even though Cassian had lived in England his entire life. That smiling face looked genuine, but surely that couldn’t be.
“I am sincere.”
As if reading Cassian’s thoughts, the Marquis spoke a single sentence. Cassian asked, still bewildered.
“You are sincere?”
“I am.”
Repeating the same words, the Marquis rang the bell sitting on the table. Following the clear chime, a servant who had been waiting outside knocked and entered, and the Marquis promptly gave an order.
“Bring that fellow here.”
“Yes, Marquis.”
As if he had already been briefed, the servant answered immediately and left the drawing room. Cassian still couldn’t comprehend how the situation was unfolding and simply stared at the Marquis’s face, but the man merely drank his tea in silence. Left with no choice, Cassian waited with his mouth shut. Before long, a knock sounded, and the servant from before reappeared.
“Marquis, I have brought the young master.”
“Very well, you may leave. Come in.”
Following the Marquis’s instruction, the servant left the drawing room, and a man entered hesitantly, as if taking a shift. When Cassian recognized his face and frowned, the Marquis spoke nonchalantly.
“As you know, he is my grandson. Edward, come sit over here.”
Edward bowed awkwardly and sat beside Marquis Manon as told. Seeing him look so utterly intimidated, Cassian only deepened his frown.
Edward Manon.
He was the grandson of Marquis Manon, but he had not yet received any title. This was because his father—the Marquis’s son—was still very much alive and holding on, and more importantly, because he had failed to earn the Marquis’s trust.
Why had he summoned his grandson to this spot?
While Cassian remained completely unable to understand the current situation, Marquis Manon spoke sternly to his grandson.
“Now, speak up.”
Speak what?
Just as Cassian couldn’t even guess what was happening, Edward, who had been timidly reading the room until then, opened his mouth.
“I, uh, well, that is…”
“Edward Manon!”
Suddenly, the Marquis shouted like a thunderclap. The roar from a man Cassian had thought of as merely an old man startled not only his grandson, Edward, but Cassian as well. Under the gaze of those burning eyes, Edward couldn’t help but shout urgently.
“I-I am sorry, Count Herringer! I have committed a great rudeness!”
Cassian was flustered by the sudden apology. What on earth is this…? When he looked at the Marquis as if seeking an explanation, the man immediately scolded his grandson.
“You brat, what good is it to just apologize out of the blue! You must explain the whole story first!”
“Yes, yes. I-I’ll do it now, I’ll do it…”
Completely demoralized, Edward hurriedly made excuses and began pouring words toward Cassian.
“I am sorry, Count Herringer. At yesterday’s party, my friends and I made some nasty jokes about the Count. They were truly just jokes. Of course, we had no actual intention of doing such things, but the Count’s partner overheard and misunderstood, and then… Ah, of course, it is the fault of everyone, including myself. Even if it was a misunderstanding, it was wrong to say such things in the first place. I am sorry; I apologize again. I hope that gentleman who was your partner does not misunderstand either…”
He continued to speak, but it was ultimately just a repetition of the same story. Shifting his gaze from the man who kept repeating his apologies to the Marquis, the man who had been silent until then finally spoke.
“What do you think? Can you forgive him?”
Forgive him? Everyone gossips behind people’s backs. Even if he had heard something, the general practice would be to ignore it and move on, yet the Marquis was forcing an apology like this.
The rumors that the Marquis’s education of his children was exceptionally strict must have been true.
“This is enough. Our side was also a bit excessive…”
“Since this side was the one who did wrong first, it is only right that the party who provided the cause apologizes. Is that not so?”
At the stern reprimand toward his grandson once again, Edward hurriedly answered, “Yes, of course, you are right.” Along with the question of just how terrible the words must have been for him to be like this, another question followed.
Bliss caused that much of a scene because he heard that? But why?
He couldn’t understand it at all. While a series of incomprehensible events continued to unfold, the Marquis spoke to his grandson.
“Thank the Count for his generosity in accepting this, and then you may leave. Do not go far, as I may have need to call you again.”
“Yes, I will wait in the hallway.”
As if this had happened several times before, Edward answered readily, bowed to the Marquis and Cassian in turn, and went outside. Once the drawing room door closed and they were left alone, the Marquis asked Cassian again.
“Is it truly alright? With just this?”
“It is sufficient,” Cassian answered immediately.
“Rather, I thank you for overlooking it so generously. However, I wonder how I should compensate you for the damage to your precious cane.”
At the polite greeting, the Marquis let out a boisterous laugh and said,
“If you invite me to your wedding with that boy, that will be enough.”
“Pardon?”
When Cassian reflexively asked back at the unexpected words, the Marquis gazed at him with narrowed eyes, as if he knew everything.
“I know all about it. You and that child—you aren’t just acquaintances, are you?”
What on earth was he talking about now?
Cassian could only stare at him once again with a blank expression.